Friday, October 25, 2013

What happens when a dope South West Philly DJ hooks up with a raw Brooklyn MC? Freshco and Miz, that's what. Shortly after the duo won the 1989 New Music Seminar MC and DJ categories, they paired up to release the classic Tommy Boy Records 12" "We Don't Play," bw/ Ain't You Freshco" and "Now You Know." The highly talented pair seemed poised for stardom, but soon disappeared from the rap game. Produced in 2010, this documentary tells the story of how Freshco and Miz hooked and shook the hip-hop landscape, if only for a short period.
The film includes footage of the famous NMS routines that clinched the two victory and features cameos by MC Serch, MC Lyte, Leaders of the New School, Dres from Black Sheep, Video Music Box's Ralph McDaniels, Guru (RIP), DJ Red Alert, and many more. So never mind what's on Netflix tonight, check out this documentary and be taken back to a time when skills paid the bills, or at least netted you a sweet championship belt.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

A few months ago Kilo-Cee gave me a copy of an album that had been on my "Want" list since the early 90's. The album is by THE group that sparked my love for Hip-Hop music from my own city. The album is by THE group that turned a hard to please Hip-Hop head into a fan. The album is by THE group that gave me new meaning to the phrase "It ain't where you're from, it's where your at!"

EQ is The Incredible Ease and his partner Quaze, Seattle's DJ King Otto, and later Kilo-Cee who would be added to the line up to handle DJ duties north of the border as well as the majority of scratches on Swellsville. EQ first caught my attention when they tore the house down opening for Public Enemy at The Orpheum. Then they did the same when they were the special guests at UBC's DJ Sound Wars. Add to that they they had a video playing on Much Music (a first by a vancouver Hip-Hop group) and they were instant Hip-Hop heroes.

Ease & Quaze are responsible for Vancity's first Hip-Hop classic with 1990's "They Can't Cope", which is the b-side to EQ's debut 12" "Put Yo Body In It". Swellsville was supposed to be the album that followed, but due to industry rule #4080 it never saw the light of day. A handful of cassettes made it to the group but that was it. If you never got your hands on one of those tapes, which is pretty much everybody on the planet, then you never had a chance to hear Swellsville. It is a familiar story, but an all too real one that kept the world from hearing an ill fucking album that should at very least be recognized as a Canadian classic. Maestro Fresh Wes and Main Source aside, I put Swellsville up against anything released in the early 90's - Dream Warriors, Devon, MCJ & Cool G, Kish, Ground Control, Organized Rhyme or any of the other rappers I saw on Much Music's Soul In The City "Rap" specials back in the day. The production on Swellsville can give Maestro and Main Source a run for their money too. Straight up. The beats are hard as hell.

In a 2007 article for the Canadian Rap Music blog Living Underwater, Vancity OG Birdapres summed up Swellsville by saying "Much could be said about the potential impact of this missing classic, and what could have been. To hear it is to understand. No Hip House or love songs. No clumsy attempts at pop accessibility. Hard beats, fresh rhymes and scratching. The sort of thing that heads in 1991 would have latched onto gratefully."

He is 100% correct.

With the recent passing of our friend Edwin Kohn, aka The Incredible Ease, it feels like the perfect time for Swellsville to see the light of day (it is far overdue actually). Anybody that has ever had the pleasure of meeting Ease knows what a cool cat he was. He lived and breathed this Hip-Hop shit. Whether it was Ease and Kilo every Tuesday at Midnite taking over the airwave with the legendary Krispy Biskut show, or him rocking the mic with EQ (or on the solo tip), or hosting concerts and parties, The Incredible Ease has influenced and educated us all. Rest In Peace Homeboy.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Happy 40th Hip-Hop. Salute Kool Herc!For those wondering, this is the flyer for the very first party that Kool Herc threw at 1520 Sedgwick Ave aka the birthplace of Hip-Hop. This means August 11th, 1973 was the day Hip-Hop was born. Today was a good day.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

In the hot, hot summer of 1988 Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back could be heard in jeeps, boom boxes, and airwaves from coast to coast. It featured sample-rich Bomb Squad beats, powerful lyrics, the stark contrast of Chuck D and Flava Flav's vocals, and the introduction to what later became a standard convention on rap LPs, the interlude. Although it's the kind of album that is best listened to from front to back, here is a taste (or a reminder for those that remember the fury it leashed 25 years ago).

Thursday, July 4, 2013

We've been away for a while here at Nation of Millions, but we're back with some serious heat. Before Run DMC and Jam Master Jay dropped Raising Hell (1986) and turned the entire music world on its head, they were already two albums deep and seasoned veterans of the stage. Check out this 30 minute performance at The Ritz in NYC recorded for MTV. Songs include "It's Like That," "Rock Box," "King of Rock," and even a preview of their third album in "It's Tricky."

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

I swear we dig new music here at N.O.M. too, it's just that these vintage clips are gold and you can find the newest of the new daily at about 1 dillion other sites. So, with that said, here is LL Cool J doing an air band to "Big Ol Butt" by LL Cool J! The gem is the very end when LL reads a list of words that don't rhyme. Classic material!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Rakim recently sat on the RBMA couch with journalist/DJ "Chairman Mao" for an epic interview. The R speaks on his career
from its earliest days in Wyandanch, Long Island, to meeting Eric B., and recording their many classics. He even breaks down the lyrics in
"I Know You Got Soul," "The Ghetto," and others Do the knowledge.